Chief Assist. Prof. Ivaylo Nikolaev, Ph.D., Eng., is an academic at the Dept. of Thermotechnics, Hydraulics and Environmental Engineering, University of Ruse "Angel Kanchev", Bulgaria. He earned his M.Sc. in Environmental Protection Technologies (2000) and his Ph.D. in Hydraulic and Pneumatic Machinery (2016), introducing an innovative three-rotor gear pump with bilateral lantern meshing. He lectures on Hydraulic Drive Systems, Fluid Mechanics, Positive-Displacement Hydraulic Machines, and Pneumatic Drive Systems and Pneumo-Automation. His portfolio of over 60 scientific publications spans mathematical modeling and multi-criteria optimization of fluid power systems, dimensional analysis, control algorithms for electro-hydraulic and electropneumatic servo systems, CAD/CAM integration, and forensic engineering methodologies. His recent work focuses on evaluating volumetric efficiency and optimizing pump architectures via MINLP and Pareto optimization. Notably, he won the national "Inventor of the Year" award and holds a patent for a novel hydraulic machine. As an approved forensic technical expert for the Courts of Ruse, he prepares specialized evaluations in Fluid and Pneumatic Systems and Automotive Technical Expertise. Full CV: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xoMrifa3SVouXwWcnqHx25Vy8LSA4WXB/view?usp=sharing Publications: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rjV9f101LGHyaeWOrcxvMp0qotI6EODf/view?usp=sharing